Romantsev is not going to sign any contracts with the club, saying “my work won’t have any legal grounds in the beginning."

Spartak, who fired Danish coach Michael Laudrup last week, has not announced the name of the new coach.

Valery Karpin, the former Russian international, who made his name playing for Spartak and Spanish sides Celta and Real Sociedad, announced that he will take charge of the team until a permanent replacement is found.

He’s already won his first match against Terek over the weekend, despite not having a Pro category coaching license.

“We are going to communicate on a regular basis. Romantsev is going to visit the team's training sessions at the Tarasovka base from time to time. We’re going to discuss the games and the training process together. Oleg Ivanovich has great experience, which we can’t ignore,” Valery Karpin said.

The Muscovites currently sit 7th in the Russian Premier League, having just 7 points after 5 games.

Romantsev was Spartak’s head coach between 1989 and 2003. It was he who made the Red-and-Whites the strongest power in Russian football, and a regular participant of the UEFA Champions League.

The last trophy Spartak won was the Russian Cup of 2003, just a few days before Romantsev left the club.

He was in charge of Saturn and Dinamo after that, but failed to achieve the same success, and retired from football.

Romantsev was also the boss of Russia’s national team at Euro 1996 and World Cup 2002.